


A Confused Sacrificial Love

by FilthyWoman



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Vikings, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-28
Updated: 2013-03-28
Packaged: 2017-12-06 19:32:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/739307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FilthyWoman/pseuds/FilthyWoman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an unexpected encounter in the woods, Tiina becomes a captive of three stranded Vikings longing to return home. Sweden x FEM!Finland.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Into the forest

**WARNINGS:** GENDERBENT FINLAND~! Lemon in later chapter, human names used, Viking Alternative Universe, MULTI-CHAPTER fic

 **MAIN PAIRING:** Sweden x FEM!Finland (Berwald x Tiina)

 **SIDE PAIRING:** Denmark x Norway (Mathias x Lukas), one-sided FEM!Finland x Estonia (Tiina x Eduard)

 **SETTING:** Set around the end of the Viking age in Finland

 **DISCLAIMER:**  I do not own Hetalia and I do not claim to be historically accurate.

***This fic contains a FEM!Finland and is rated 'MATURE' for later chapters. ***

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**'A Confused Sacrificial Love'**

"Waaahh. It's cold," Tiina whined with a shiver as she sat up in bed. Her bedmate stirred, cocked its fluffy white head and then replied with a playful "Arroo."

The Finnish woman reluctantly crawled out of bed, wrapping the blanket around her body and the dog's as she headed over towards the hearth fire.

"Oh no. It's almost out," she lamented, "I forgot to put more wood in the fire and now it snowed."

She looked over at the basket near the front door. It was nearly empty; only one log and a handful of twigs. The dog whined and gave her a piteous look.

"I know. I know. I was suppose to go out and get some but.." The blonde patted the dog's head as her voice trailed off into the frigid air.

It was hard being a woman living alone, well almost alone if a dog truly counted as a housemate. Her house was at the edge of a dark forest in a land where the daylight hours were so short. What did her dog Hanatamago expect? The Estonian Eduard hadn't been coming around quite as often lately and helping her chop down and carry back the wood so naturally there was going to be a delay in the supply. The heavy snowfall hadn't helped either.

"Arroo." the white dog nudged her master.

"What's that, Hanatamago? You think we should go out and get some more?"

Certainly that would be a great idea and they could do with a walk. While she was out getting firewood she could allow her dinner to cook in the little bit of fire. By the time she return to the house it would be done.

Tiina quickly went over to a wooden box and removed an ice packed fish from inside of it. She then placed the fish into a pot over the fire and wiped her hand with some cloth. When it was ready later, it would taste really good.

Tiina picked up her white cloak and wrapped it over her shoulders. She then slipped on a pair of shoes and headed towards the door carrying a basket. Her hand glided to the door latch. She set foot out into the snow and shivered a bit. It was so cold yet lovely; she adored the beauty of this weather.

The landscape had always been so much prettier after a freshly fallen snow. Tiina couldn't help but admire the way the icicles crystallized on the trees or the smell of pine as she headed deeper into the forest.

Hanatamago didn't seem to mind either. She enjoyed playing with her owner and trotting over the ice-coated snow.

Tiina broke off a small branch and tossed it for Hanatamago to fetch. The small dog barreled off across the snow, pouncing accidentally into a snow drift and making a plop sound. White powder flew up into the air.

The Finnish woman giggled. Her dog was just so adorable.

"Arf" Hanatamago's little white head popped up. She glanced from side to side.

"Oh, did you lose your stick?" Tiina replied playfully, "Let's just get another one for you."

Again, Tiina broke off a small branch and tossed it back across the ground.

"Arroo." This time, Tiina had thrown the stick much further. As the day progressed, she realized with some worry that she had walked further away from her house than she had ever done before. This part of the woods was foreign to her and it would probably be much too dark to see by the time she started to head back if she didn't turn around now.

Tiina coaxed the dog back towards her side. It seemed like a good time to collect the final pieces she needed before returning.

Suddenly, there was a strange sound that spooked both her and Hanatamago. It was a low howl coming from somewhere nearby. Tiina threw the basket onto the ground, causing all the firewood to scatter. The dog jumped nervously and they both bolted from one another in terror as something continued approaching.

Tiina quickly ran away from the sounds. Something else, another animal, closed the gap between her and itself. The animal dashed passed her madly.

Tiina screamed, stopping dead in her tracks. She took immediate notice of her surrounding, vaguely realizing that animal was a rabbit and it was running away from a wolf.

Tiina gasped, covering her mouth in a silent horror. The wolf stopped, shooting a glance in her direction. The blonde trembled, reaching shakily for the small knife she had tied at her waist. It was going to attack her, she feared.

Dread swelled up in her chest as both beast and woman stared back at one another.

A sudden sound of branches cracking off in the distance caused the wolf's attention to shift back towards the woods. It was eager to continue pursuing its prey so it turned and bolted away from her.

"That was close huh, Hanatamago?" Tiina sighed with relief. Then her heart began to pound loudly as she looked down and realized with some horror that her dog was no longer by her side.

Tiina immediately started to look for Hanatamago. She hoped the dog hadn't gotten too far and that she was alright.

"She must be so scared," Tiina thought to herself as she searched.

"Hanatamago!"

She called out again for the dog, hoping Hanatamago would respond to the sound of her voice. She paused to listen but still there was nothing.

Tiina frowned when she realized she had no idea which way her dog had gone. She walked a little bit more into the forest trying her best to retrace her steps.

It was unfortunate that her panic had resulted in some disorientation. She thought she had come from somewhere over in that direction but it was getting hard for her to tell because her footsteps had started to go in circles.

This was not a good situation at all. She was getting lost searching for her dog and a quick reunion was starting to become less and less likely with each passing moment.

What if Hanatamago couldn't answer her anymore. What if another animal came by and harmed her dog while she was out there looking for it. The thought frightened the Finnish woman. Hanatamago was truly the last family member Tiina had left in this world and she couldn't bear to lose her too.

Tiina wouldn't give up. She'd keep looking until she was once more reunited with her beloved Hanatamago.

To be continued…

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A/N- Please read and review!


	2. Suggestive Intrigue

"It sn'wed." Berwald observed as he opened the door to gather the firewood.

Lately, it had been doing that a lot and with greater frequency than even he was accustomed to. Honestly, the snow didn't bother the Swedish man much. Winter was an interesting season. Yes, it was cold but at the same time it was also somewhat homey with a special emphasis on daily domestic life.

Berwald adapted to the challenging winter conditions readily because his own nation was so similar to the land they were now stranded in. He didn't mind sitting around the hearth, day after day, cooking or gathering wood.

It was Lukas that was having the greatest difficulty accepting things as they were. The young Norwegian was desperately homesick. The short hours of daylight in Finland didn't help nor did the perpetually grey sky that seemed to haunt the air above them.

"Agh, I can't take it anymore," the Norwegian complained, dropping his head miserably against the table.

"So what are you gonna do about it, huh?" Mathias said ruefully, "Try to go to the village and get yourself killed. Cuz' it's suicide doin' that."

"We'ther'll turn," Berwald tacked on, "Jus' be patient." He set the pile of firewood on the table beside Lukas.

"It's been six months. I think it is true. The Gods have forsaken us." Lukas mumbled against his sleeve.

"But we've been lucky." Mathias was quick to point out, "We're alive, we don't have to share any of our treasure from the raid, we found this great cabin and Berwald's gonna finish workin' on our boat."

"You think we're lucky," Lukas lamented, sitting upright to glower at the cocky Dane, "Lucky we're trapped here in the middle of nowhere, lucky our comrades deserted us, and all the treasure we have is worthless because we can't ever go into the village. Is that lucky? You think that's lucky?"

"Yeah. I do," Mathias said smugly, patting Lukas on the shoulder, "Lucky cuz you got me."

Lukas sighed, deliberately looking away from him. "This is hopeless, so fucking hopeless."

Berwald ruffled the Norwegian's hair. "'s okay."

"Anyway, I've been thinking. I want to offer another prayer to Odin," Lukas returned his attention to the Dane, "But maybe praying isn't enough. Maybe the Gods are looking for a bigger sacrifice."

"Hey, yeah. I've got it," Mathias answered with an eager grin, "What about the rabbits? We take a couple of them over to the bog, spill their blood, and say a few prayers. Problem solved."

"It's worked before," Mathias finished, giving the Norwegian's shoulder a hearty rub.

"No, you're missing the point," Lukas replied, jerking his shoulder away, "I think it has to be something more sacred. I mean the rabbits are just food, you breed them like crazy. They don't have any special meaning to us. It has to be something important, you know. Kinda like a valuable possession."

"Like what?" Mathias said, leaning in closer, "Some more of that treasure we pillaged?"

"That doesn't have much meaning either. The treasure we have is of a worldly value but there's no spiritual connection that the Gods would be interested in. It's useless out here in this place anyway. What we need is something practical that the Gods might find useful. Something magnificent, kind of like your axe Mathias. If we offered that thing up to them, they'd know we were sincere and truly in need of their help."

"My axe," the Danish man repeated, his eyebrows arching in surprise, "Hah… You're joking. Berwald, tell me he's joking."

Lukas shrugged, "Yeah, maybe I am. But you get the idea now, right? It would have to be something that would be difficult for us to part with. The Gods need to know we're serious about sailing back home when the bad weather finally breaks."

"M'kes sense," Berwald remarked with a nod, "But, we'll h've ta think 'bout it more."

"Yeah. Let's not be too hasty," Mathias replied anxiously, "All this talk about sacrificing to the Gods is making me hungry. Berwald. Let's go out and hunt before it gets dark again."

The Danish man pulled on his heavy cloak and headed for the front door, his axe tightly in his grasp.

"You know it's crazy right?" Mathias told Berwald as they walked through the woods, "He wanted to sacrifice my axe. I mean, my axe. How could he?"

"He's j'st clingin' ta hope. I th'nk he feels gu'lty abo't being the re'son we were left beh'nd and the bad feelins' are getting' ta him. It's his f'rst bad raid so 'course he's scared."

"I mean, you guys wouldn't…oh I don't know, actually throw my axe in the bog, would ya? Lukas isn't holding up too well and maybe you might suddenly starting thinking it's a great idea to sacrifice my axe…"

Berwald bent down to pick something up at his feet. He turned the item over in his hand and glanced in his Viking brother's direction, "Look. S'meone's been here."

Berwald made a mental observation that the person had been picking up firewood but had somehow abandoned their basket.

Mathias, too stuck in his own rant to care, ignored everything of what Berwald had just told him and kept going, "I mean I don't know why it would have to be 'my axe.' Even if it is the greatest thing ever and more powerful than Odin's when I swing it, it's not meant to go in that bog where I can't ever use it again."

Berwald remained where he was while Mathias continued walking. He scratched his head, puzzled by the other things he was beginning to notice. He stopped deliberately to examine his surroundings a bit more closely.

Something just didn't feel right. It was the first time he'd ever noticed any evidence of someone else moving around in these woods besides himself and his two Viking brothers.

The nearest village was a distance away so it was unlikely one of the villagers would travel this far into the woods to harvest kindling for their hearth, especially when a closer spot would have been more practical and ideal.

There were also some footprints leading away from the area. One was definitely human-too petite to belong to Mathias or Lukas-and it had gone ahead in the same direction Mathias was traveling. Judging by the distance between them, the person had been running. The other set of footprints was a bit different although it was evident that this thing had also been moving at a fast pace.

Berwald veered to the left and took note of the other signs on the ground. Some of the bush branches were disturbed and a small bit of bloodied ribbon clung to one of the pieces. Further up ahead near the edge of the bushes, little drops of blood dotted the snow and led a perfect trail towards the underbrush.

This doesn't seem like a wild animal, Berwald thought at first. These were paw prints-small ones- and they sorta reminded him of a dog. But not a big dog. It had to be something small with a compact body.

Curious, Berwald followed this path. Vaguely he wondered whether he'd find this creature in a salvageable condition. His hand rested loosely on the hilt of his sword as he made his way down the hill.

The trail ended there.

At first, Berwald didn't see anything, only small amounts of movement coming from the edge of the brush. Then, all at once, he noticed the torn blue ribbon that was tied lovingly around the creature's neck.

"H'y, lil' fella," he said softly, extending his hand outward in a gesture of mercy, "C'mere."

The little white dog looked up at him as he spoke, it's cute round eyes staring up into his face expectantly. It barked at him enthusiastically and made an effort to approach him. Sadly, it couldn't quite reach him just yet.

"Y're caught," the Swedish man pointed out, his fingers working to remove the ribbon that kept the dog in place.

He lifted the wounded animal into his arms. The white dog nuzzled against him as Berwald inspected its body.

The dog's injury wasn't too severe, Berwald noted. Just some scratches, most likely from running through the brush and getting caught on some of the briars. Nothing a little time and care couldn't fix.

He turned his attention back to the direction Mathias had headed. This animal probably belonged to someone and now it was time for him to find them.

To be continued…

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_Author's Notes \- Aa~ I forgot I need some cultural explanations~ Forgive me~_

_* In Finland (and other northern countries too) they have something called 'Polar Nights'. That's where the moon stays out during the day hours and the sky is always night (getting light grey at points). This is in the winter and can last a few months._

_*There was a whole bunch of Nordic Gods and Goddesses. But we'll be mentioning Odin lots~ *Odin is a Nordic God. He's like 'king' god for all Viking Warriors because he was just that awesome and powerful~ And he totally had a thing for battles, fighting and war~_


	3. Alone by Chance

Mathias turned. There it was again.

 _"It's almost sounds like…crying?"_   he thought to himself.

The Danish man frowned. Now this was just pathetic. If he found out that Lukas wandered away from the house-leaving the hearth totally unattended-so he could come out here to cry like some girl, he was totally going to have hurt him.

Mathias followed the sound and made his way to the hill that overlooked the bog. Sure enough, he could see a figure dressed in a white cloak.

"Hey." he called out, tromping down the hillside, "You better not have let the fire go out. It's shit to get started."

A girl wearing a blue dress underneath the white cloak turned to look at him. Her tear stained face took Mathias by surprise.

At first he was dumbstruck; he'd fucked up royally by making contact with one of the natives. But the girl didn't seem bothered by his presence at all. In fact, she seemed comforted though a little embarrassed that he had seen her shedding tears.

"I can't find Hanatamago." she explained, clutching at his black cloak.

The Dane tried to pull away. "What are you doing out here?" he demanded as his face grew hot with anger.

This was not good. Hanatamago? That sounded like a name. So that meant that there was probably at least one more of those Finns running around his neck of the woods. If these people found the cabin and got a mob together, they would be screwed. He already knew from experience what happened to the rest of his comrades when they encountered the Finnish people further south. This was just the beginning of a bad nightmare.

The young woman stood up, clasping her hands together, before nervously pleading, "Please, help me find my dog. Together, maybe we can find her."

"Y-your dog?" Mathias asked, scratching his head, "Is that what you and your friend are looking for?"

"Friend?" Tiina answered, a look of confusion sweeping across her features, "I don't have any friends out here. I'm alone."

"Like alone, alone?" Mathias clarified.

Tiina looked at him curiously. "Yes, alone. I was taking my dog out but an animal scared us and we got separated. Hanatamango's probably hurt," her eyes searched around on the ground, "I don't know if she'd been attacked by that wild animal and I've been searching everywhere but I'm so lost. I just keep going in circles."

"Which direction do you think you came from? The village?" Mathias questioned as they began to walk.

"No, not there. I live further north. My house is that lone one that they make fun of. You probably heard about it."

No. He hadn't. And according to this conversation, she wasn't any wiser to realize he wasn't a villager.

"Yeah," he lied, "You live out there with your…uh husband."

"No. It's just me and Hanatamago," Tiina explained, "Aa! I need to hurry. I need to find her."

Alone. The word seemed to ring nicely in Mathias' head. It meant less complicated in his mind. At least he wouldn't have to deal with other people coming out there bothering them before they could leave this place and make it out safely.

Tiina began walking ahead of him, calling loudly for her dog. Mathias trailed behind her. "Hey lady. What's your name?"

That was odd, Tiina thought, If he heard about her in the village , he should have known her name.

"Tiina Väinämöinen." Her feet stopped and she turned towards him, a slow curiosity flushing her face.

"Is there another village nearby?" she finally asked.

Mathias shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"Uh, um, what are you actually doing out here anyway?"

Before Mathias could answer, a loud arf sound crossed the nearby air. The woman's eyes lit up and a smile drew across her face. "Hanatamago."

Within seconds, however, terror gripped her features. "Ohaaaaaaaa." she screamed the moment she caught sight of Berwald carrying her dog. She immediately fell to the ground and crawled backwards, ending up at Mathias' feet.

"A monster's got my dog," she whined.

Mathias laughed. "Did you hear that, monster?" he said, approaching and pulling on his Swedish brother's face, "I think you're more of a troll though. You got hit by the ugly stick in this woods a few times, hell, even your name got hit by that same stick, Berwald."

"W'th that axe of yo'rs you look more l'ke the troll." Berwald elbowed the elder man away, causing the Dane to trip and land on the snowy embankment beside the bog. Berwald kicked Mathias's axe playfully out across the frozen ice.

Mathias gasped. To his horror, the axe stopped spinning near the center of the bog.

Berwald moved on and looked down at the Finnish woman who was now dusting the snow off her clothes. He held Hanatamago out to her. "T'is yer dog?" he asked.

"Oh no. What happened to her?" the Finn cried as she noticed the blood on her dog's fluffy white coat, "Was she attacked?"

"She'll be a'ight," Berwald said reassuringly, "Found her l'ke this."

Hanatamago arfed again and scuttled towards the ground to be reunited with her beloved owner. The Finnish woman knelt down to play with her dog, taking Hanatamago up into her arms joyfully. "Thank you for finding her." she beamed.

Berwald took note of Tiina's beauty as she spoke animatedly to her dog about how worried she was and how much she missed her. It was strange to see such a pretty girl in such a dangerous forest. "You injur'ed?" he asked, looking at her with some concern.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just a little startled that these woods are so big," she responded, "You don't really think about it til you get lost in them."

Hanatamago fidgeted around happily in her owner's arms. The dog's tongue lapped at the Finn's face. Berwald couldn't help thinking that her smile was kinda cute.

In the meantime, Mathias cursed under his breath as he raced across the ice after his axe. He couldn't believe Berwald would just screw around with his most prized possession.

As he made it to the middle of the bog where his axe had come to rest, he heard the sickening sound of the ice cracking beneath his feet.

It seemed like too much of a coincidence for him to be there, in the middle of the frozen bog, collecting his axe from where they had talked about sacrificing it earlier in the day.

A terrifying thought seeped into his brain and only confirmed the deepest fears he ever had.

The Gods really were after his precious axe.

He looked over at Berwald and the woman as they stood talking by the shore.

It was all starting to make sense to him now.

It really was.

They'd been living in this secluded section of the forest for almost half a year and hadn't seen a soul. Then, the one day that Lukas suggested sacrificing his axe also happened to be the very same day they, no, make that he, first encountered someone.

Surely, her presence had some divine purpose. Yes, that had to be the reason.

Mathias carefully bent down and picked up his axe from the bog's surface. The ice groaned again enough for the Dane to hear the opposite edge of the bog begin to splinter and crack.

He felt a surge of anger spiked with desperation course through his body. He understood now. If he wanted to keep the axe, he just had to offer the Gods something more precious.

And what, Mathias had thought, was more precious than offering up to the Gods a beautiful human life?

 

To be continued...

 

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_Author's Note: Feedback is welcome._

_Author's Note : *explanation of why everyone want to throw stuff into the local bog ~~~~ So way back in Viking times (and before that too) people use to think that dumping offering into bogs and then praying would help achieve whatever desire they wanted. Danish farmers use to throw their axes, tools, jewelry, and other such things including humans into bogs as sacrificial offerings~~_


End file.
